Recently imposed nationwide regulations on length of hospitalization are limiting the time during which the cancer patient can be assisted in the coping process. Patients who are unable to regulate their emotional distress and/or develop necessary problem-solving skills within the time constraints of reduced length of postoperative hospitalization. This descriptive correlational study has been designed to determine if an individual's use of coping strategies (as measured by The Ways of Coping Checklist) prior to experiencing the crisis of radical head and neck cancer surgery (as measured by the Disfigurement/Dysfunction Scale) is predictive of postoperative coping effectiveness will be measured from postoperative days 4 through 6, when significant increases in coping behavior will be analyzed as covariants in relation to explanation of variance in length of stay.